I never would have noticed this sweet little herb if it had stayed green. But in the fall, it turns vibrant red which is what caught my attention. I tried to identify it at the usual websites and could not find it, so I submitted a couple of my photos to the South Carolina Native Plant Society for proper ID. Here's Dr. Hill's reply, "Your plant is a common herb usually in disturbed soils known as three-seeded mercury, or Acalypha. We have 5 species, but yours seems to match Acalypha gracilens. The plants turn red only in autumn, they are normally green throughout. What you are calling flowers are actually bracts like little boats that hold the tiny green flowers. Yours has seed capsules. Nice pictures! It is distantly related to poinsettias, and is in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae."
@joysabin Thank you!
@corinnec Thank you very much, Corinne! I enjoy researching what I find when I find something I don't know anything about.
@ludwigsdiana Thank you very much, Diana! Very kind!
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